Once Upon A Dream
by raiko.EXE
Summary: When the walls are still white, the blanket is still navy, the fan in the corner is still spinning, and they're still in love. — Past Shikamaru x Ino; Drabble-ish.


I'm working on actual ShikaIno romance, I swear, but I needed a little break from that piece which is in another tab half finished. It was a bit of a challenge writing in this tense and keeping it consistent, but I've been wanting to try it with this particular scenario for a while. Enjoy!

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**Once Upon A Dream**

They're at the eve of seventeen when they go on their first real date. Shikamaru is at her doorstep wearing a grey shirt and an anxious expression that makes her even more eager. She herself is in a purple breezy purple tank with a bow in the back, and kisses him on the cheek when he compliments her on her style of dress. He turns slightly red before clumsily mumbling something about a movie, and she nods before falling into his step. Even in the blazing heat of Fire Country, there's a certain jump in her step – she's happy.

The movie itself is nothing special, but the way he holds her hand throughout it is, and he doesn't dare let go even as the stifling weather of the late afternoon slicks their palms with sweat. It seems like Shikamaru hadn't planned that much though, since they're making their way down the streets of the market at a loss of what to do. Though she's normally thrilled at the prospect of going shopping, this is a _date,_ not their normal routine. _Well, it's not like he knows any better_, Ino thinks as they continue to walk, but the sun is harsh upon them now. Equally sick of the heat and his own indecision, he wipes his furrowed brow and suggests his place, tired of walking around in the sun for so long. She nods without objection – her wedge sandals are killing her feet anyway (she only wore them to impress him).

Ten minutes later, Ino finds herself in the Nara household, sitting next to Shikamaru on the edge of his unmade bed. She's drumming her fingers while he's studying the floor, and neither of them speak a word. The number of shoes in the entryway suggests that they're the only ones home, and she's not sure how to feel about that. It's hardly the first time she's been to his room, but she's never been here under this circumstance. Silence hangs thickly in the air amidst the buzz of the electric fan in the corner and their stiff posture.

A beat passes.

"So I guess this is where I ask you to be my girlfriend or something," he mumbles, and her blue eyes grow wide.

"Yes!" she all but shrieks before launching herself at him, roping her arms around his neck and taking him down. She knocks all the air out of his lungs when she lands on him, his back hitting the mattress with an audible thump. Shikamaru makes a strained groan and she lifts her head and she realizes the aftermath of her enthusiasm.

"Sorry," she says with an apologetic smile, propping herself up on her elbows and knees so he has room to breathe. But then they feel the frantic drum of each other's heartbeats through the contact, realization of their current position settling in. Ino can't help but lock her nervous gaze with his as she brushes her bangs into place, but then he kisses her suddenly, and she's the one left breathless.

The kiss is shy and hesitant and before they know it, they've already pulled apart. Ino blinks at him, lips parted in awe of his uncharacteristic display of impulse. He has a brilliant flush staining his cheeks, almost looking like he's done something horribly wrong. _Probably his first,_ she thinks before emitting a small peal of laughter and taking the lead, kissing him again. It's longer, more pleasant, and she grins against his mouth when she feels his hands settle comfortably around her waist.

They kiss again and again until they're dizzy and drunk from affection. Eventually, Ino finds herself on her side with his arms still around her waist, lethargy overtaking her senses. But though their muscles are tired, their mouths remain curved upwards reasons they couldn't even begin to explain – she beams at him endearingly and his pleased smirk implies that the feeling is mutual.

Shikamaru looks at her with half-lidded eyes and whispers something delicately into her hair, and Ino manages to move her lips in response before falling victim to slumber.

_Is this what love feels like?_

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She's at the dawn of twenty now, flipping the sign of her family's flower shop to "Closed" so she can head home. The blonde steps outside and locks the door, the sun's descent bathing Konoha in a brilliant shade of orange. It's autumn, and her first love has weathered and faded with the passing seasons like the crumpled leaves littering the village streets. She's felt incomplete ever since.

Shikamaru barely looks at her now and only communicates, short and straightforward, when absolutely necessary. The treatment he gives her is cold, like she was never his teammate, never his friend, never _anything_ special in his eyes. It's almost as if he's wiped her from his memory entirely, and it hits her like a ton of bricks every time she thinks that he's cast all of the precious memories she holds so dear to nothing.

Her eyes divert to the ground as she rounds a corner, dismayed at the tenacity he had in invading her thoughts – She'd loved him with everything she had, but apparently, it wasn't enough.

But then an all-too-familiar masculine voice stops her dead in her tracks. The Nara clan's crest on a backdrop of green and a spiky ponytail face her accompanied by the giant folding fan of the girl from Suna. With their backs turned they can't see her, but Ino is fully aware of the sentiment held in their lively conversation and the comfortable distance between them, walking in perfect sync with their shoulders practically touching. They're happy, she thinks. Why shouldn't they be? But even as she tells herself this, she can't help but break a little when he looks at Temari like that – with the expression that used to be _hers_. But now Temari has him, has the happiness she can never get back.

She's trembling, feeling a pained lump rise in her throat. She doesn't belong here, she decides, because she doesn't belong to _him_ anymore.

With a heavy heart, Ino tears her gaze away and spins on her heels taking an alternate route home. As soon as she's through the door, she tosses off her shoes and climbs the stairs to her room. She tears open the door and throws all of her weight onto her mattress, clutching stiffly at her blankets and staring at the ceiling until sleep takes her.

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When Ino is seventeen, forever seventeen, her eyes open to meet a pair of familiar chocolate ones. The walls are still white, the blanket is still navy, the fan in the corner is still spinning, and they're still in love.

"Let's stay like this forever," the Shikamaru she knows and calls her own breathes into her crown, gently tightening his hold on her. He's looking at her like _that_ again, she realizes. His gaze is kind and endearing and enough for her to believe him, even for just a moment.

She smiles into the collar of his shirt and_ remembers_.

"Okay."

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Whew, it's done. As a sidenote, this fic was inspired by some of the events that transpired in my own youth (which was admittedly only a couple of years ago) – my first boyfriend and first date. Needless to say, that relationship crashed and burned, but the reflection I put into this piece makes it something special to me, even though it was a bit experimental. Like it? Hate it? Review! I'd love to hear some feedback.


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